


Comfort

by DoucheMcBagger



Category: Linked Universe (Legend of Zelda) - Fandom, Linked Universe - Fandom, The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms
Genre: Angst, Coming Out, Hurt/Comfort, It's nothing too harsh really, More Wild just has anxiety, One Shot, Teasing for Dressing Femininely, This was supposed to be really short, Wild uses ASL, cursing, nonbinary Wild
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-04
Updated: 2019-12-04
Packaged: 2021-02-26 00:21:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,338
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21674401
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DoucheMcBagger/pseuds/DoucheMcBagger
Summary: When the Links find themselves dropped into the Gerudo Wastelands, Wild has to wear his vai clothing in order to get into Gerudo Town to get everyone armor to be able to survive the desert. In the process, he figures out that he likes being a woman as well as a man, and struggles to come out to his companions.AKA a nonbinary Wild Fic
Relationships: Twilight & Wild (Linked Universe)
Comments: 21
Kudos: 520





	Comfort

**Author's Note:**

> This was supposed to be a short little thing, but it turned into a 30 page fic. 
> 
> I wanted to write something about Wild being nonbinary, and it became a lot of Wild panics. Anyway hope you enjoy. Sorry if the ending seems rushed through or like there wasn't as much effort put into it. I was starting to get stressed over how long it had gotten.
> 
> Also, sorry for the sloppy ASL descriptions. @ThirstyPlantMan helped me with it some, but he could only salvage what I was trying to say so much...

It was too hot. The sweltering heat of the Gerudo Wastelands was suffocating. Even with his desert voe outfit on, Wild was having a hard go of it. He could only imagine how the others were faring--no he knew how they felt. 

The morning that Wild had first arrived in the Gerudo’s homeland, it had been rather brisk. He had even worn his snowquill headdress to stave off the shivers that started to come over him as he trudged through the sand. The chill hadn’t lasted for long though. After a while, the desert started to warm up and quickly. He had found himself shedding his snowquill headdress in favor of his cloak to block out the sun. Needless to say, while it kept the direct light off of him, the heat kept creeping in. Wild had found himself drenched with sweat and in the early stages of heat stroke when he had managed to stumble to the oasis of the Kara Kara Bazaar. 

He had received treatment there and had been instructed on how to make an elixir to prevent the heat from subduing him again. It had been helpful up to a point. The potions lengths would vary, and sometimes he would find them wearing off mid-battle, or that he would be out of potions altogether. For one person, just relying on elixirs had been impractical. For nine it was nearly impossible. 

Wild lacked the supplies to make elixers for everyone. They had given one to Wind, Hyrule, and Sky. It was all they had been able to afford. Time’s armor was stowed away in Wild’s Sheikah Slate for his safety, but still, he was struggling. Twilight, Warriors, Legend--they all were struggling. Wind, Hyrule, Sky, and Wild had all had to give them half of their own water to prevent them from collapsing before they made it to the Kara Kara Bazaar.

The heroes who had lacked protection from the heat all lounged in the inn. They needed to rehydrate and rest after what they had endured. Wind, Hyrule, and Sky had all taken to checking around the bazaar for items that Wild could use to make more elixirs. Wild was familiar with the merchants there though and knew the only one around who carried the cooling elements needed for elixirs wasn’t present. He tended to travel through the canyons--not all the way into the desert where he may have to use his most valuable wares.

Wild stood at the top of the inn, gazing out into the desert in the direction of Gerudo Town. He thumbed mindlessly at his Sheikah Slate until he came to his armor screen.

Coming into his Hyrule in the midst of the Gerudo Wastelands had been terrible luck. They likely could make it out of the desert from here--especially if they left before dawn, but they were probably in the wastes for a reason. Whatever had brought them together had also brought all the Links to the Gerudo Wastelands, so that’s where they should be until they either found out why or were lead somewhere else.

They were going to need a way to survive out in the desert--all of them. At night they would be able to travel to Gerudo Town, where Wild could purchase them clothing fit for the climate, but the thought gave him pause. They wouldn’t be allowed to enter the city--at least not at first. While Riju had declared that he as a champion was allowed entry, Wild had never even thought to enter the city out of his vai clothing. The place had been a sanctuary for women, and Wild was not going to make the women inside their walls uncomfortable by any means through entry out of disguise. He didn’t want to change his show of respect to them. 

Wild was sure everyone would understand if he told them, but, at the same time, it made him afraid for them to know. What would they think of him for presenting as a woman? They likely would joke about it and give him some grief, but they would understand why in the end. A few jokes and that would be that.

If that was the case though... then why was it so terrifying? They would be understanding since it was just a show of respect right?

But it wasn’t just a show of respect, Wild realized. His gaze which had locked on his vai clothing while he’d been thinking lost focus. He thought back to when he first got the outfit. The individual who had given it to him saying he looked quite cute like that. The way the people in Gerudo Town responded to and treated him. They complimented his clothing, how cute he was--it made him feel nice. While in Gerudo Town, Wild had realized that he liked being there. He liked the energy everyone brought. He felt welcome. He liked how he felt presenting as a woman. He felt like himself. 

His hand hovered over the different styles and color variants of all the vai outfits he had bought in Gerudo Town. He’d loved all the shades and variants, and hadn’t hesitated to buy them all.

He felt like himself too when outside of Gerudo town, in the stables dressed in his usual gear--presenting as the man he was. Wild didn’t doubt that he was a man, but at the same time, when he was presenting as a woman in Gerudo Town, he also felt like that was right. 

Wild’s brows pinched together as he stared in confusion at the slate. He couldn’t be both a man and a woman could he? The idea was supposed to be confusing, but at the same time the question had occurred to him, it brought comfort. Being able to wear the flowing feminine garments that he always found so charming; being able to dress in masculine tunics; being able to exist both as a man and as a woman; it was ridiculous, and yet… The idea brought a yearning--a fondness. 

His hand wavered for a second before he brought his favorite vai outfit from the slate. He felt the smooth fabric beneath his fingertips and gently smiled at it. Wearing it felt right--presenting as a vai felt right. Wearing his average gear felt right too, and so did presenting as a man. Maybe he was both or a mix of the two? Wild wasn’t certain. He didn’t even have a word for such a thing. 

He knew of people, like the woman who gave him his first vai outfit, that lived as the gender opposite of what they had been dubbed at birth, but he knew that wasn’t him. He was comfortable in masculinity, but there was also a discordance in the lack of femininity he felt that he was supposed to present. Wild liked wearing the vai outfit--he liked being a woman while in Gerudo Town. There were even times when he would find himself wearing the vai outfits out of the Gerudo Wastelands. He never quite knew why. Sometimes he just felt more feminine those days. He’s never really thought to question it until this worry had entered him.

What would the others think? He didn’t want them to know. They might judge him--think him too odd. Wild already knew they thought he was a bit peculiar with his frequent bouts of mutism and his episodes when memories would come flooding back. What if they thought that when he had died the first time and got revived in the Shrine of Resurrection something had gotten messed up?

_What if they thought he was broken?_

The fabric in his fingers started to creak as it was stretched. He wasn’t aware when his grip started tightening. Panic shot through him at the realization that he had almost ripped his Gerudo veil. Wild found himself frantically searching the article for damage. When he found it to be alright, he hugged it to his chest in a silent apology. A deep sigh escaped him, and Wild returned the clothing back into the slate.

Telling them would be a mistake surely. They wouldn’t understand. He didn’t really understand to be fully honest with himself. If he didn’t understand then what were the chances any of the others would? He knew he missed being able to wear his vai clothing whenever he felt the need, but had just shrugged it off until now. There had been more important things. Now the urge to dawn the clothing was more present than ever, but he couldn’t. He couldn’t let them know. 

They had to get supplies from in the city though. Wild bit his lip. He’d tell them he wore it because it would be the only way of getting into the city--that’s it. He’d get them their voe garments and then be done with it. He’d take their japes and their jokes. They’d be good-mannered even if they might sting a little. It would be better to let them think he did something embarrassing than to have them think he was broken.

* * *

Sundown seemed to take too long to arrive, yet it came all too quickly at the same time. Wild had informed the others that he could retrieve armor for them in Gerudo Town that would help them with the intense heat. Naturally, while lacking potions, they were all for the idea. While Kara Kara Bazaar and Gerudo Town were relatively close, it was still far enough that the others insisted that Wild not trek back and forth alone. The company decided they would all travel to the shrine located right next to the city walls to camp inside, and Wild could procure their supplies in the morning. 

As soon as the earth began to cool, the group set out across the short span of desert to Gerudo Town. And as soon as the earth began to cool, Wild felt anxiety swell within him. He would be fine--he told himself over and over. Every step towards Gerudo Town made his heart pound harder. He rehearsed what he was going to say over and over again--prepared himself for the jests that were about to be thrown his way. Still he didn’t speak up. His nervous energy swelled in his throat making the idea of talking seem laughable. 

They made it to the Daqo Chisay Shrine all too quickly. Wild hesitated on the platform that lead to the depths of the shrine, gripping the Sheikah Slate between his hands. He stared in concentration at the pedestal used to active and open the door to the shrine. 

At his brief pause, Twilight asked from behind him, “What's wrong?”

“Nothing,” Wild replied all too quickly. He started turning his head to look at Twilight, but never finished and snapped his head back to the pedestal. Thinking quickly, he continued, “It’s just that... this place has a lot of electricity running through it. I’m... gonna have to move some things around before it’ll be safe to actually lay out bedrolls ‘n stuff.”

There wasn’t a response from Twilight outside of a short hum. He definitely knew something else was bothering him--Wild could tell. Shaking off his thoughts about Twilight for now, he pressed the Sheikah Slate to the surface of the pedestal. It instantly glowed with blue light. A second later, as the slate was lifted, piece by piece the door folded itself back to reveal the lift waiting behind it. 

“Woah!” Wind gasped.

“Indeed,” Time rumbled in agreement beside him.

“Cool door Wild, but how are we all supposed to fit inside that?” Legend asked, sarcasm dripping off his voice. 

“That’s just the lift. We may have to go down a couple at a time,” Wild muttered, looking at the small platform that would be used to take them into the depths of the shrine. 

“Me first,” Wind volunteered, rushing forwards to stand on the elevator. Nothing happened when he stepped on, and Wild frowned slightly.

“Looks like I’ll have to go down with all of you,” he muttered.

“Well, yeah?” Warriors said from behind him.

“I mean with everyone that goes down. Normally, the lift starts as soon as I step on it,” Wild clarified. 

“Oh,” Warriors cleared his throat and rubbed at his chin in mild embarrassment.

“Well then we best get started going down there,” Time sighed.

Wild nodded and headed over to the lift where Wind was waiting. The elevator activated, and Wind jumped slightly. A second later they began their descent. As they passed underground and into the shrine proper, Wind was in awe. 

“Woah, are all those shrines you went through like this?” He started leaning forward towards the blue light that rimmed the platform on which they stood. 

Wild put a hand on his shoulder to prevent him from leaning too far. “More or less. They always have a lift like this, but there are usually more rooms.” 

The pair came to the bottom of the lift and stepped out. The floor was lined with wiring and linked with metal where electricity could be seen dancing around the objects used to complete their circuits. There were two large boxes with small bouts of lightning arching off of them and whipping around dangerously. Weaponry lay strewn across the floor where Wild had once dropped them in order to complete all the circuits and open the gate at the back of the shrine--electricity arched off of them as well. 

Wind rushed forward to investigate the room. Before he could get far, Wild pulled out the Sheikah Slate again and swapped its function over to Magnesis. He quickly lifted the items at the beginning of each circuit to halt the dangerous flow of electricity--dropping them a couple feet from the metal outlets where they could safely be picked up. 

“Wha-” Wind jumped as he watched the barrels and scimitar hover through the air in succession only to fall a few feet away. He drew his sword, frantically searching for some unseen enemy.

“It’s just me,” Wild soothed behind him, latching the Sheikah Slate back onto his hip.

“How did you do that?” the younger Link asked in amazement, turning to face him. 

“The slate lets me do all sorts of things. I had to solve this shrine with it by using something called Magnesis. It lets me pick up metal stuff without actually touching it,” Wild smiled. 

“That’s so cool! Do you think I could give it a try?” Wind asked hopefully. 

Wild chuckled lightly, “Sure, but not now. I think the others are ready to get down here and get some sleep. I’ll be back. Don’t... touch any of the metal next to the lit parts of the floor. _It will shock you._ ” 

Wind nodded at his warning then jumped down from the elevated platform they had been standing on that overlooked the floor puzzle of the shrine. As he went about investigating, Wild stepped back onto the lift and rose back to the surface of the shrine. 

As he emerged, he asked, “Who’s next?”

* * *

It had taken a little while to get everyone into the shrine--Wild instructing them as they descended not to touch anything metal near or to the connectors for the circuits. Eventually everyone was safely below the surface and roaming about the room. 

Time had been the last to descend, ever patient. When he arrived, the others were all meandering about the shrine. Sky was investigating the designs inlaiden on every surface, marveling at the detail. Legend was trying to goad Wind into throwing something onto the metal outlets, while Hyrule stood by insisting that they really shouldn't. Four and Warriors were investigating the weapons that had been left strewn about the room, while Twilight had taken to gathering whatever weaponry that pair hadn't been occupied with and moving it aside--freeing the majority of the room for resting and moving about. 

"When will the market open?" Time asked Wild as he observed the goings on with mild amusement.

"A little after sun-up. I'm not sure when the one stall I'll need to go to opens though... It could be later," Wild informed him, thinking on the workings of the Gerudo Town marketplace. 

Almost every stall opened at sun-up, though the clothing merchants could afford to be more lenient. The shopkeep that Wild had to go find however didn't operate in the town square. It was a hidden room with the merchant keeping her wears guarded by secret code. Wild had only learned of it because he overheard some gossiping women in the local tavern. The wears she guarded were clothing that could glow in the dark and desert clothing made for men--or as they called them voes. The glowing clothing could likely make a profit should she find a regular supplier, but her voe clothing had to be dispensed in secret. Men shouldn't be wandering about the desert after all. 

Time hummed in response. "I suppose that may be in our favor with the late night travel. We're safe down here--I assume, so there really isn't a deadline for getting new gear."

"Yeah... I'll try to get it as early as I can. It just may be a bit later than is best for traveling," Wild confirmed.

Nodding his understanding, Time descended to the puzzle floor. He too took to examining the designs on the walls and took an invested interest in the wiring on the floor. Wind ran up to Wild after he realized Time had walked past him. 

“Can I try out that thing with your slate now?” he asked excitedly.

“Sure,” Wild smiled at him, and pulled out his slate. He navigated over to the Magnesis setting and passed it to the younger Link. “Once it highlights a metal object you just hold this down and turn the slate however you wanna move it. Twist the right bottom corner toward you and the left top corner away from you to push it further away. Do the opposite to pull it closer to you.” As he spoke, Wild held his hands in a position mimicking his holding of the slate and performed the motions he described.

Wind grinned widely. Quickly he panned the slate around until he got a metal barrel lined up and highlighted on the screen. Wind managed to get the Magnesis locked onto the barrel and quickly tugged the barrel closer to him. It flew towards him, and Wind gave a yell of triumph. He pushed the barrel away from himself and swung it out to the right. The barrel soared through the air and directly towards Legend. 

“Shit!” Wild yelped, and grabbed onto Wind’s hands to quickly guide the barrel away from their companion. 

The barrel, while diverted still had swung rather close to the hat-wearing hero. Hyrule, who had been talking to him and saw the danger quickly approaching, grabbed Legend’s shoulders and yanked him out of harm’s way. The pair fell to the ground. With an undignified yelp coming from Legend. 

The other Links all had their gazes locked on Hyrule and Legend in an instant. While they were distracted, Wild lowered the barrel to the floor and took the slate away from Wind. 

“We’ll practice this another time… when we won’t risk hitting anyone,” Wild whispered quickly as he slipped the Sheikah Slate back in place at his hip. 

“Yeah,” Wind breathed, “sound’s good.”

“What was that for?!” Legend was yelling as he pushed himself up from the floor.

“There was a barrel flying right for your head!” Hyrule explained, also scrambling up from the floor. 

“What do you mean a barrel? Barrels don’t just fly through the air,” Legend huffed. He started fixing his hat and tunic as he spoke. 

“That one was! You guys saw it right?” Hyrule asked, turning in search of support from any of the others. 

“Yeah right,” Legend frowned.

“It did!” Hyrule insisted.

“My bad,” Wild piped up. “I was showing Wind one of the functions of the Sheikah Slate, and it... went a little off-course.”

“Be more careful next time,” Time soothed to deescalate the situation. Wild nodded to affirm that he would do just that. 

Legend rolled his eyes and lightly shoved Hyrule. “And give me a heads up next time, yeah?” he muttered quietly. Hyrule smiled and shoved him back lightly in response.

After things calmed down, everyone meandered a bit longer before their inquisitive nature managed to be sated. Eventually, the heroes all began to actually relax. They began pulling out bedrolls and prepping for sleeping when Legend spoke up.

"Is there any way to turn off the lights in here, or do we just have to try to sleep through it?" he asked.

"I don't think there is, sorry. The Sheikah Slate can do a lot, but I don't think outside of the elevator it can actually do anything with the shrine itself," Wild apologise. "I have extra shirts we could throw over our faces," he offered.

"I'll take one," Warriors declared with a yawn. 

"Me too," Hyrule agreed. 

There were a few more murmurs of agreement, so Wild began shuffling through his armor screen on his slate. Soon he managed to pull out enough shirts for everyone to grab if they wanted one. He looked up to see Legend--his cap pulled over his forehead and eyes, grumbling as he settled into his bedroll for the night.

"Here," he offered to the other heroes. 

As they desired, they came up one-by-one to get the additional sleeping garment. Sky seemed to be trying to settle in without one, and Wild went over and placed a shirt next to him.

"Just in case," he said.

Sky nodded his appreciation with a light smile before continuing to settle in. Everyone followed in his wake, covering their faces with the shirts to fall asleep. It wasn’t long before almost everyone was out. 

Wild lay in his bedroll. Sleep hadn’t been coming easily, and it had nothing to do with the lights. There had been a couple occasions where Wild found it best to sleep inside a shrine rather than sleep out in the open. Tomorrow he would have to ride up the lift with one or likely more of his companions. Tomorrow he would have to change into his vai garments in front of them. Tomorrow they would tease him--taunt him--for dressing femininely, and it would hurt. Goddesses above it was going to hurt wasn’t it? He locked his jaw and tightened his eyelids. Wild’s nose crinkled as his distress grew. His shoulders drew slightly closer to his ears. 

There was the sound of shifting beside him. Wild willed his shoulders and face to relax. His breath held itself in his chest. Had Twilight, who was lying just to his right, noticed his distress?

“Wild?” Twilight’s voice whispered.

Shit. Wild focused on starting up his breathing, and keeping it slow. He didn’t want to talk about it. Hylia, he wanted nothing more than to forget the whole thing and not have it bother him ever again. The dull ache in his chest whenever he thought of how his friends would make fun of him for dressing femininely was nothing but a curse. 

“Wild?” Twilight asked again in his hushed tone. A hand gently reached over and held his upper arm. “Hey,” the quiet voice persisted.

 _‘Go away. Why won’t you just go away? I don’t want to talk right now. I just wanna drown in my misery by myself,’_ Wild thought to himself as he lay there. He focused on his breathing and tried to forget his companion’s pestering. 

The hand lay on his arm a while longer before a sigh echoed from Wild’s right. The sound of Twilight shifting in his bedroll reached him as the hand retracted. Finally. Now Wild could go back to his dread without the worry of having to discuss his what was bothering him. 

* * *

“I uh…” Wild started. He cut himself off with a sigh in an attempt to still his pounding heart. “I wasn’t honest about how I got into Gerudo Town.”

Looking at his Sheikah Slate, which had his vai clothing displayed and ready for removal, he avoided the gazes of Twilight and Hyrule, who had volunteered to wait for Wild at the entrance of the shrine incase of trouble. His face flushed slightly. They were all crammed close together on the elevator, and on their way up the lift to the surface. It was a tight fit to have all three of them, and it was about to get tighter. Wild needed to change into his vai clothes now to avoid being seen by the guards--the only reason he had finally spoken up.

“What?” Hyrule asked in confusion. Twilight merely cocked his eyebrows and head, waiting for his protege to continue, a patient concern rolled off of him.

“Before, when we talked about getting into Gerudo Town, I… I lied. I didn’t actually impress them. I had to... um… I-” Wild huffed out a sigh in his embarrassment and pulled the vai clothing from the screen. “I wore this. I... gotta... put it on again.”

The others simply stared at him for a moment--not quite understanding, and Wild sighed once more before stripping and changing in front of them. With the outfit dawned, it became clear to them what he had meant. A snort made its way through Twilight’s nose as he attempted to keep a straight face. It stung. 

“Oh…!” Hyrule supplemented. “Uh, so... you were disguised?” 

“Yeah,” Wild muttered as the lift brought them to the surface. He stored his usual clothing, and stepped off the lift. He was thankful most of his face and the back of his neck were covered. If the others could see how unsettled and flustered he actually was, he wasn’t sure what he’d do.

“Well, I think you look _just darling_ ,” Twilight teased, pinching Wild’s cheek from beside him. Wild slapped his hand away a little harder than necessary. Regardless of his force, an amused, relieved grin still played at Twilight’s lips. 

“Shut up,” Wild frowned. He didn’t face Twilight as he spoke. He kept his gaze locked on the walls of Gerudo Town. The back of his neck was flushed with the intense, embarrassed heartache he felt. 

The teasing was in good fun to Twilight--he didn’t know how Wild felt. It still hurt nonetheless. Him being feminine was a thing to be mocked by his mentor. Hylia, that thought hurt. His nose tingled slightly and pressure built behind his eyes. “Stay in the shadows by the walls--it’ll keep you cool enough until I get back, and... stay where the guards can see you, so they know you’re not trying to sneak in. Just… stay cool. I’ll be back in a bit,” he muttered in an attempt to tell Twilight to drop the teasing without outing his level of discomfort. 

Without waiting for a response, he started heading for the city gate. The Gerudo guards there smiled at him warmly. 

“Sav’otta, little vai. It has been a while,” one of them greeted. 

Silently, he ducked his head in thanks to her. Wild had rarely spoken in Gerudo Town. There hadn’t been a need--they understood him without words most of the time. He worried about how his voice might sound to them at times--that it might give him away, and they might treat him differently. There had also been the intense pressure of saving Hyrule keeping his voice strangled in the back of his throat during most of his visits. 

The guards gestured to the gate, and he stepped inside--giving them a brief wave goodbye before turning to the plaza before him. Wild knew he should peruse the regular wears before heading to the shop where their supplies would actually lay to avoid any suspicions being linked to the store. As he suspected, there wasn’t much in the regular storefronts that would serve them well. Still, he purchased a few hyrdomelons and chillshrooms. They would be good for mid-day snacks to keep cool while trudging through the sand. 

After paying the vendors, he turned and began to head towards his true goal. Wild went down plaza and to the avenue that held the secret shop. He knocked lightly on the door then stepped back to wait for an answer. 

“Password?” the voice on the other side of the door asked groggily after a few moments.

“GSC Diamond,” Wild whispered. 

The clanks and shuffling of locks being released reached Wild moments before the door opened. The vendor, Greta, stood there--leaning her head out from behind the door with a raised eyebrow. After a second of looking him up and down, she stepped into the doorway and swung it open more. 

“Welcome back,” she smiled, stepping out of the way and gesturing for him to enter. 

Wild nodded quietly, and proceeded into the shop. Greta closed the door then followed after him until she reached the counter. There she moved to stand behind it and wait for Wild to select a purchase. 

The desert voe clothing lay stacked, neatly by size. Wild started reaching for the items as it struck him. There weren’t many pairs. In fact there seemed to be only seven. There were two smaller pairs, three larger ones, and two mediums. Four and Wind would fit the small pairs. Twilight, Warriors, and Time could manage with the large ones. However, Legend, Sky, and Hyrule needed mediums. There weren’t enough for all of them. Wild himself had one of the medium sized pairs. The vai clothing he wore currently served the same purpose as the desert voe clothing, so he would be able to lend his to one of the others. But then he would have to wear his vai clothing in front of all of them wouldn’t he?

“Is there a problem, little vai?” the shopkeep asked, watching as he stood frozen. 

Wild cleared his throat before lightly asking, “Are there any more of these?”

“More of those? No. They are not in high demand, so I see no need to make them frequently. Why? Do you need more of a size?” Greta asked. Her eyebrow was raised and mild confusion rested on her face. 

“Just one of the middle size,” he replied hoarsely. His throat was suddenly incredibly dry--too dry. Panic was beating in his chest. Oh Hylia, the others were all going to see him like this. They were all going to tease him for dressing this way. 

“Sorry, but the only one I have in progress is large, and it won’t be ready for a few days,” Greta shook her head solemnly. 

“I-” Wild cleared his throat again, “thank you.” 

“Apologies little vai. Perhaps one of the larger sizes could be fitted to the voe?” the shopkeep offered gently. 

He shook his head, and began gathering all the voe garments into his arms. Wild turned and set them on her counter. 

She stared at him in surprise for a second. “I see. Supplying an army?” Greta asked jokingly.

Wild smiled tightly. His voice was failing him again as worry wormed its way through him. He linked his index fingers briefly, while they were curled into a c shape, before mirroring the positioning again and dropping his hands to his sides. ‘ _Friends_ ,’ he signed to her, mouthing the word despite the fact his face was hidden.

The Gerudo woman stared at him for a moment before nodding. She had run into Wild before he could speak. She didn’t understand the meaning behind his loss of words but shrugged and smiled at him regardless. “Well, since I couldn’t supply you fully, how about a discount, huh?”

Tapping his index and middle finger to his thumb twice, Wild shook his head. He then raised his hand to his chin and gestured towards the shopkeeper. ‘ _No thank you_ ,’ he had signed. 

“No, I insist. Clearly this is troublesome,” the woman waved his kindness off. There was a firmness to her tone to indicate she wouldn’t back down from her decision to give him a discount. 

Wild raised his hand, palm up with his fingers curled inward. He released his fingers in a gesture similar to a gentle upward toss--his eyebrows furrowed. ‘ _How much_?’ he asked. 

“Fifteen thousand one-hundred twenty rupees sound good to you?” she asked after pondering for a brief moment. 

Twenty thousand rupees was about the budget he had assumed he’d need for the clothing. It was a good deal considering he had been expecting to pay her much more. Wild nodded and began pulling the currency from his Sheikah Slate. 

Greta seemed slightly surprised at the fact that Wild was comfortable paying such a large amount. Then again the little vai in front of her had managed to be deemed worthy of the password for her shop, so she had to have either a great need of her wears or a great deal of rupees. It seemed that in actuality she had both. She only let the surprised overcome her briefly before counting out the rupees that had been handed to her. 

“There’s an extra thousand here,” she frowned at Wild, attempting to hand it back. 

Wild merely nodded and brought his hand up again. He fingerspelled the word “ _TIP_ ” as he set his Sheikah Slate on the counter by all the clothing. After his signing was done, Wild placed the garments into the slate and put it back at its place on his hip. He waved goodbye to her and left the shop.

Once outside, the panic continued to spread through Wild. He knew the others would be by the western gate--hiding from the sun, but he couldn’t go to them. Not yet. Not now. Twilight’s teasing bounced and echoed off his skull. Wild’s breath hitched, and his face and neck flushed again with the emotions welling in him. The more the teasing echoed in his head the more upset he felt. Soon he would receive the same treatment from Warriors, Legend, Sky. They probably wouldn’t be the only ones either with Wild actively wearing the clothing.

He needed to get away from the sight of the townsfolk. He couldn’t handle the misery and anxiety gripping at him at the thought of being tormented by his friends. It would be unknown the degree at which their words would hurt--he knew that, but it would still hurt. He would find himself drowning in the misery of it. 

Wild’s feet started moving him to the town’s Goddess statue. No one ever visited it he was once told. As he rounded the corner, Wild’s knees began to shake lightly. The anxiety was getting to him. He pressed his back to the wall beside the Goddess statue and slid down despite how the rough sandstone scraped lightly at his skin. 

“Breathe,” he told himself gaspingly, and shut his eyes tightly.

In.

Pause.

Out.

Pause.

In.

Pause.

“You okay kid?” a crooked old voice asked him. 

Wild’s eyes flew open. Before him, standing hunched over with a hand on her back, was Muava, the old woman who had told him that the Goddess statue was practically abandoned. That’s right. She kept it company in her old age. How had he forgotten she would be there?

“Hey,” she tried gently. Muava began lowering herself to her rigid knees to try to offer some comfort. It took a couple moments, but she got down in front of him and took his hands in her own. She frowned at him in concern. The woman had always seemed to brittle and sharp. Her gentleness now was surprising. “What happened?”

Wild raised his hands, his palms facing his chest and fingers clenched--the knuckles turned to where, when extended, his fingertips would be facing each other. With a flick of his wrists he opened his hands with fingers splayed. His brow was creased in worry, and beneath the veil he wore he mouthed the word “afraid.”

The old woman’s brow creased more. She took his hands back into her grip and stroked gentle circles on the backs of them with her thumbs. She didn’t seem to fully understand him. The merchants had to be well versed in linguistics or knew someone who was because of their need to deal with all sorts of peoples in their business ventures, but an average citizen like Muava wouldn’t be as learned in language as they were. 

His attention focused on the pattern she drew in his skin, and Wild found himself calming slightly. He cleared his throat despite the anxiety beating in his chest. There would be no explaining to her with signs. He wasn’t entirely sure he wanted to tell her, but Muava was one of the only people around who knew who he truly was. 

“I’m-” he choked on his words slightly, but powered through, “not a man, or a woman. I mean I am, but I’m... both. My friends are gonna make fun of me. I... have to... dress like this in front of them…” he felt his voice breaking as he continued, “I like dressing like this.” The explanation was vastly summarized and weak, but it was the best he could manage.Wild closed his eyes tightly and lowered his head in shame. She was going to think he was a freak. She knew what he really was. 

“It must be a beautiful thing to be able to live as both,” Muava soothed. 

Wild’s head snapped up to look at her in shock. “What?” he asked, stunned. Tears were biting at his eyes, not quite welling up yet, but causing them to sting--he blinked at her in response.

“Being able to live as both a vai and a voe. It must be very nice. I’m happy to have met such a beautiful soul,” she smiled. Her face wrinkled in familiar lines, and she let one of his hands go to cover the other with her own. “If these friends of yours think otherwise, they’re fools. There are better people for one to be around. Any vai here in Gerudo Town would be willing to show them just how big of fools they truly are... and she would be willing to be your friend in their stead.”

The sincerity with which she spoke lightened Wild’s soul immensely. A smile rose to his face and dropped, but with a slightly broken chuckle the smile returned stronger this time and stuck. Wild tapped his free hand to his chin and gestured towards the old vai. “Thank you,” he signed. 

She smiled even if she didn’t understand him. After a moment she creakily got to her feet and stretched her hunched back. “Come now, get up. Let’s have a quick prayer to the Goddess statue then you should go. A pretty little vai like you has better things to do then panic over what her companions think of her.”

Wild stood beside the old vai as she bowed her head, and he did the same. He knew he was supposed to be praying to Hylia with her in that moment, but instead all he could find himself doing was rerun Muava’s words in his head. 

He didn’t think his fellow Links would disapprove of someone like him necessarily. The idea of one of them being like him seemed like something that would throw them off balance though, and he wasn’t sure how they would react because of it. They all supposedly shared the Hero’s Spirit. Sure, they were all different and people of their own, but in the end they were still rather similar to each other. He would be more different than the others than he was before. He was already the hero who failed once. 

With his head ducked in supposed prayer, Wilds fingers traced over the scarring on his jaw. Now not only would he be the failure, but he’d be the one that didn’t fit like the others. Wild already felt like he had failed the Hero’s Spirit before this. Now he felt even more like he was a let down to all of Hyrule. What if upon finding out, the others started to doubt that he actually was one of them? Wild had the thought himself on multiple occasions. A frown tugged heavily at his lips and heart. As he raised his head, Wild stared directly at the carved eyes of the goddess statue. Hylia, why did he have to feel this way?

Beside him, Muava had also raised her head and slowly moved to sit once more at the statue’s right side. After managing to sit back down beside the statue, she watched him carefully as he stood just staring straight ahead. 

“I may be old, but I’m not a fool yet,” she muttered. Wild’s gaze flicked to her--his eyebrows raised in question. “I don’t think a vai like you would hang around people who aren’t worth their salt. They’ll see your value. Otherwise you wouldn’t have called them friends would you?”

Wild hesitated--his mouth hung slightly open ready to reply, but with no reply there. She was right. They all cared about each other. They stood by each other no matter what. They were all closely bonded together no matter their differences. They may find it odd at first, but they wouldn’t estrange him for it. His mouth closed with a soft smile. “Thank you,” he whispered.

Muava grunted in response. “Good. Now get out of here. You’re blocking the sunlight,” she grumbled, waving him off.

A chuckle that was more air than sound escaped Wild, and he turned to leave the city and return to his friends. During his walk through Gerudo Town to its western gate, his steps were lighter than they had been when he entered. Some doubts and dread still plagued him, but Muava’s reassurances had brought some hope with them.

As he exited the gate, Twilight’s voice greeted him teasingly. “There’s our _beautiful maiden_! Find anything pretty?”

His gut dropped as he heard the words. Wild’s brave face fell. He forced himself to roll his eyes and kept walking towards the shrine without answering his mentor. Hyrule and Twilight followed after him despite his silence. They were used to him having moments when his words wouldn’t work, and didn’t really think to question it.

“Did you find supplies?” Hyrule asked, weary of the fact that they guards by the gate may be able to hear them. 

Wild lifted the Sheikah Slate up in lieu of a response. He kept walking. Once they reached the shrine, the three of them squeezed onto the lift together once more. It was tight and uncomfortable--though not as uncomfortable as it had been when Wild was forced to change in the cramped space with them. 

There, Wild brought a hand to his chin in a fist with his thumb extended and pressed to his adam’s apple, as he scraped his thumb forward across the underside of his chin and away from himself, the fingers opened and his palm stroked his awaiting other fist twice. His hand raised up to his brow, index finger extended while the rest curled inward like he was saluting with just the one finger. His hand rotated away from his face slightly. He shifted his hand to point at his right shoulder and moved his hand in an arc to point to the opposite shoulder. Wild’s hands came together to make a window; his left palm faced his chest with fingers together and thumb extended; his right hand in the same position with his palm facing his companions. He moved his right hand as if smacking something away, rotating it as he went before tucking it behind his left hand to rest in the same position. “Not enough for us all,” he mouthed with his signs despite the fact that his mouth was hidden behind the Gerudo veil. The pair frowned at his declaration. 

“How short are we?” Twilight asked, suddenly having grown serious.

“One” Wild signed by raising his index finger, his palm facing his chest, and lifting it upwards slightly with eyebrows raised. He continued signing. He raised his hand to his chin again, fingers folded and flicked his thumb along the underside of his chin, outwards and pulling it down to his chest while shaking his head. His other hand rose to join the first at his chest, and he splayed his fingers, palms facing his chest. His middle fingers were folded inward, pointing at himself. He alternated bouncing his hands towards his chest three times, pulling one closer and pushing the other out in quick succession. “Don’t worry,” he articulated. 

“What do you mean? We’re short on gear,” Hyrule asked, blatantly confused. 

Wild grabbed at the sleeve of his Gerudo clothing. Bringing up his hands again, he closed them, palms facing down, and extended his thumbs, placing them together. He pushed his connected hands outward before dropping one hand and pointing to his chest. Lastly he raised both hands again. With palms facing inwards and thumbs pointing out, Wild fanned his fingers twice to mimic fanning himself. “This keeps me cool,” he told them. 

“So you’re going to be wearing _that_ the whole time we’re out here?” Twilight asked with mirth dancing in his voice. 

A frown spread across Wild’s face, and his shoulders raised slightly as his body tensed. His heart stung at his mentor’s words. He nodded, eyebrows drawn down. Before the conversation could go much further, the elevator reached the interior of the shrine. 

“Is that Wild?” Wind called, having noticed the elevator's arrival. The other heroes looked over to the lift. 

“I think it is!” Sky snickered.

“Why are you dressed like a girl?” Wind asked, hiding a laugh that was building within him behind a hand.

“Warriors, someone’s here for you!” Sky called teasingly. 

“Well, _hello_ hot-stuff!” Warriors called with a mock bow. “What’s a girl like you doing in a place like this?”

Twilight threw an arm around Wild’s shoulders and declared, “Sorry boys, I think this gal’s not looking to settle down with any roughians like you.”

Without responding to the taunting being thrown his way, Wild shoved Twilight’s arm from his shoulders and stepped off the elevator. He shuffled through his slate to pull out all the desert voe sets he had. His face was hot with embarrassment, hurt, and shame. As each piece of clothing appeared, he threw it to the puzzle floor where the majority of the mocking Links stood. When he finished he noted that Twilight and Hyrule had followed after him, vacating the elevator. Good. 

Wild pushed his way back past his companions and onto the lift. As soon as he stood on it’s center, it rose from the floor. He heard exclamations from the other Links as he started to rise above their heads and disappear from sight.

His eyes burned as he rose towards the surface, and Wild yanked the Gerudo veil from his head. He threw it to the floor and gripped the hair at his scalp as hot, embarrassed tears bit at his eyes. He rubbed at his face to push the tears back--not wanting to waste his energy crying over something that shouldn’t even hurt this much. He was being stupid. Childish. Idiotic. They were right. What was he thinking dressing like a woman? Nothing smart that’s what. He was nothing but a damned fool.

Wild emerged out into the sands of the Gerudo Wastelands. As he moved to step off the lift, he stepped on the Gerudo veil. His heart dropped to his gut when he realized what the difference in texture beneath his feet was. Quickly he jumped back and dropped to his knees to scoop up the veil. Wild cradled the garment to his chest after briefly examining it for injury. 

No. It wasn’t stupid. He loved dressing like a vai. He loved himself as a vai and a man. Wild shut his eyes and lowered his head. He lay the veil on his lap and caressed it gently. It represented a part of him that he didn’t know needed to be guarded, and he had treated it rather carelessly as of late. Wild was treating himself rather carelessly... He couldn’t let them mock him, though he doubted they would push their luck too much more after he left them all down there without a way out. 

Hands covered his eyes, and Wild realized how he must seem to them--like a petulant child, who can’t handle a good mannered ribbing. He abandoned them down there--essentially trapping them all. He may feel hurt, but with the realization that they may be stuck down there for their goofs, some of his fellows may be beginning to panic. Wild lowered his hands from his face and traced some of the embroidery on the Gerudo veil. 

He really should go back down there. Twilight and Hyrule had likely already explained to them that he had to wear the vai clothing in order to enter the city, and that he was stuck with the vai clothing to keep cool in the desert. The hardest part would be over with. He could even throw in a jab at how he could have just gotten all of them vai clothing instead once he returned. Yeah! That would show them for taunting him about it. Right?

Probably not. Likely they all knew something was up with how he reacted. Wild stared out at the desert sand. He’d have to explain eventually or at least come up with an excuse. Maybe that he didn’t want the others to see him so embarrassed? It might work, but it was a flimsy excuse at best. Wild let out a sigh. Regardless, he had to go back down there. They needed to start investigating the area.

His eyes still stung with unshed tears, and a lump remained in his throat. His heart still pounded achingly, and his face and neck were still flushed with unbidden emotions. Wild didn’t want to go back down there with his level of distress being so clear. He needed to calm down first.

He pushed himself to his feet, pulled the Gerudo veil back onto his head and started back towards the walls of Gerudo Town. He wasn’t sure where he was going--he just needed to move instead of wallowing in his feelings at the moment. After entering the front gate to the city, Wild wandered aimlessly about the shopping district. He could go into the spa maybe? But then again that would probably take quite some time. The Noble Canteen was likely open, but drinking probably wouldn’t help him to rein in his emotions when he returned to his friends. 

Standing in the middle of the walkway, Wild looked around the city. Nothing would sate his emotional state quickly. Hylia, he needed help, but he didn’t want to talk about it with anyone. He wasn’t really in the mood to talk in general at the moment. Was there anyone or anything that could help him feel better _quickly_ without having to exchange words?

Without exchanging words… Patricia, Lady Riju’s sand seal. She was someone that at least visiting would bring him some comfort, and she was an oracle after all. Maybe she would say something that could lift Wild’s spirits. Her advice was often vague and shotty or confusing, but it was probably the best he would be able to get at the moment. 

Wild produced one of the hyromelons he bought earlier from his Sheikah Slate, and began making his way to the throne room. Upon entering, he saw Lady Riju and Buliara listening to the troubles of some of the women from the town. Over to the left of the throne was Patricia. Lady Riju was used to Wild stopping by to visit Patricia when he was in the area. It had been a regular occurrence for a while. She didn’t seem to mind that he preferred to communicate with the sand seal over people--in fact she seemed grateful for his visits. From her throne she gave Wild a brief smile, then turned her attention back to the citizens before her. 

Padda, who had been standing by the throne opposite Buliara, navigated past the women and over to Wild. “Ah, I see you have an offering for Patricia. Looking for some advice?” she asked. Wild nodded. “Well then, let’s see what she has to say. Shall we?”

Approaching the blue sand seal gingerly Wild set the hyrdomelon in front of himself. Slowly he drew his blade--his eyes flicked to Padda, who seemed unconcerned by the motion. Likely Buliara wasn’t too pleased with a drawn weapon in the presence of the Gerudo Chieftain, but she was preoccupied at the moment and wouldn’t interrupt him as long as Padda had an eye on him. He gingerly sliced the hydro melon into quarters for easier eating before dropping to his knees, grabbing a slice, and offering it to Patricia. 

Patricia accepted the melon, gobbling it down quickly. Seeds and juice flew everywhere, and Wild grinned at her enthusiasm. She finished eating the slice then turned her sight to the other three. Wild chuckled quietly before offering up the rest of the fruit. When Patricia was finished, she sat still for a moment. Normally, she would start barking and clapping her flippers together after she finished eating, but this time the barking didn’t come. Instead, Patricia flopped her way closer to Wild and began to nuzzle his chest. 

Wild stared in confusion at Patricia for a moment before he suddenly felt the weight of his emotions crashing back down on him, and he embraced her. Instead of crying like he had wanted to before, he felt the stress coming off of him in waves. Seeming to relieve themselves slightly the longer he hugged her. A low rumble emitted from the sand seal, and Padda hummed. Wild looked up from Patricia to Padda, an eyebrow raised in question.

“She says you are loved,” Padda told him quietly, “and thanks you for the melon.”

A chuckle escaped him in a breath of air as his chest was flooded with the warmth of joy. He rubbed at Patricia’s nose. “Love you too,” he muttered quietly to her. 

It occurred to him as he moved his hand to ruffle her mane that he felt comfortable enough to talk again after having heard what she wanted to express to him. His words were no longer choked in his throat. There were many times when he doubted Patricia was actually an oracle, but moments like this tended to make him wonder how much she actually knew and could do. 

“And _thank you_ ,” he whispered to the seal before drawing back from her and getting to his feet. Once standing, Wild nodded to Padda. “Thanks,” he offered weakly to her.

“It is no problem. Thank you for visiting with her,” Padda smiled. 

Wild ducked his head again with a sheepish grin. When he lifted his head again, he offered Padda and Lady Riju a wave goodbye and made his way from the throne room. 

* * *

When Wild had made it back to the Daqo Chisay Shrine, he was greeted by Time waiting by the lift. 

“Welcome back,” the older Link hummed. He stood, arms crossed and eyebrows raised. There was no aggression in his stance or his face, but Wild could feel his disapproval. He noted how other heads turned to look at the two of them when Time spoke. 

“Sorry,” Wild apologised. His gut tightened in preparation for the chewing out he was likely to receive. 

“Don’t be sorry, just don’t run off on your own again,” Time instructed. 

Wild nodded then dropped his eyes from the older man and swept around the room. Everyone was dressed in the desert clothing he had provided. All of their other things were packed away, and they stood idly around as if in boredom. A hand rested on his shoulder, and Wild found his sight drawn back to Time. 

“We should get moving,” he said before moving to step onto the lift. Wild nodded and joined him. The elevator ride up was silent. 

In fact, the ride up with almost everyone was silent. A few of the heroes offered him strained smiles and gentle apologies. Hyrule even thanked him for getting them all the supplies he could. It was relatively uncomfortable for just about everyone involved--though it was over with relatively quickly at least, Wild had thought as he descended for the last time to bring Twilight back up to the surface.

As he reached the bottom, he found Twilight wasn’t waiting by the lift. He wasn’t in Wild’s direct line of sight actually. Wild wandered off the lift and down the slope that leads to the puzzle floor. 

“Twi?” he called.

“In here,” Twilight’s voice returned. Wild headed towards it to find that Twilight was standing back by the pedestal where the monk who had inhabited the shrine once sat. 

“What are you doing back here?” Wild asked quietly.

Twilight leaned against the pedestal. “I wanted to apologize. We took things a little too far,” he said without answering Wild’s question.

“It doesn’t matter. I overreacted,” Wild huffed, shaking his head lightly. He would really rather not have to talk about the whole thing. 

“I think you reacted better than the time you poured Goron spice into our dinner,” his mentor chuckled. Twilight’s lopsided grin didn’t last. His lips fell and concern washed over his face. “Besides, that wasn’t entirely what you got upset over was it?”

“I don’t want to talk about it,” Wild cut him off quickly. 

“Wild… Something’s clearly bugging you. If it’s something to do with the desert, we ought to know dontcha think?” Twilight insisted.

“It has nothing to do with the desert-”

“Then _something_ happened! One of us did something, or said something, or something _happened to you_ . Did you remember something while we were at the bazaar? What’s wrong? You’ve been acting off, and I’m _concerned_ , Wild. It isn’t like you to just run off at some teasing. If everything were fine, you’d just... get back at us,” Twilight pushed himself away from the pedestal and walked over to Wild. He attempted to grip his protege’s arms, but Wild moved away and turned his back to him. “Please... Talk to me,” he begged gently.

“It doesn’t matter! Nothing’s wrong. Just… Just drop it,” Wild muttered. He hugged his arms to his chest. The pair stood in silence for a moment before Wild let his arms fall back to his side. He lifted his chin. “We gotta go. The others are waiting…”

Twilight didn’t respond, but Wild didn’t care. He started making his way over the lift. Not too long after his own footsteps started, the sound of his mentor’s footfalls met his ears. Wild waited to Twilight to get on the elevator before stepping on. He turned his back to his mentor as they rose from the interior of the shrine, instead facing where they would be stepping out into the desert.

* * *

It was hot, but bearable. With their new gear, the Links had trudged through the desert with as much ease as they could manage. It was still suffocatingly hot, but it was doable. They hydrated often, and snacked on Wild’s hydromelons as they walked. 

Wild was leading them to the stomping grounds of King Molduga. He had figured that if any monsters in the area were running amuck, that would be the worst of them and the best to take out early before it got infected with whatever was making monsters stronger. For him, the journey would normally take around four hours if he kept at a steady pace. With eight other people and having to take things slowly, the trek was taking twice as long.

Eight hours later, Wild found himself using Revali’s Gale to get quickly on top of the oasis in the center of King Molduga’s territory. Once there, he ran to the other side, threw a bomb, and detonated it as soon as it hit the sand below. If the monster was nearby, it would head that way rather for his companions. After the bomb was blown, Wild ran back over and tied a rope around one of the trees on the elevated oasis. He threw it down then ran to tie another rope at the next tree. Some of the Links used their hook-shots to pull themselves up. The others used the ropes provided. Soon, everyone had climbed up into the oasis, and began to set up camp. 

A tree was felled by Wild and Twilight for firewood and something to sit on as their dinner was prepared. The chill of the night was starting to sweep in as the sun sank below the horizon. They would investigate King Molduga and maybe fight it in the morning. For now, the heroes changed back into their warmer tunics and prepared to rest.

Wild chopped some of the fruits stored in his bag and coated them in honey. He shifted to preparing rice balls and was in the process of cooking the rice when Legend sat down on the log next to him. The other hero just sat there, watching Wild for a moment. Wild simply continued to cook after sending a glance and a nod his way. 

Legend hummed to himself for a second before muttering, “I uh… I was a dick before.”

“Huh?” Wild asked, startled at the other hero’s concession. 

“When we first found that veil of yours, I was a dick. I thought I was gonna be teasing you about some girl you liked, not... making fun of _you_ ,” Legend told him.

The prickle of annoyance started to climb its way through Wild’s skin. He frowned at the food as he moved on to preparing meat for the rice balls. “It doesn’t matter. It’s fine.”

“Nah... it’s not,” Legend sighed. They sat in silence for a moment, Wild was rather unamused at the turn of events. “Why don’t we take a walk?” the hatted hero suggested.

“I’m making dinner,” Wild frowned. He really would rather not talk about any of this.

“Hey, Hyrule!” Legend called across camp.

"Yeah?” he called back.

“Come finish cooking dinner! Wild and I are gonna go for a walk,” Legend told him.

Across camp, Hyrule perked up. He grinned widely. “Sure!”

“No!” Wild hissed under his breath. “You remember the last time he cooked?”

“Yeah, and so does everyone else. We’ve been eating those melons all day we’ll be fine if we skip dinner. Now come on,” Legend grumbled back. He hooked a hand under Wild’s arm and pulled him to his feet as Hyrule bounded over, excited to pick up cooking.

“Just-just watch the rice and pull it off before it gets overcooked okay?” Wild told the brunette. 

“Sounds good!” Hyrule grinned. He plopped down on the log where Wild and Legend had just been sitting as Legend began to lead the longer haired man away. As they walked out of the camp, they could hear the sounds of the others moaning quietly about how they had been looking forward to dinner. 

As soon as they were out of ear-shot, Legend turned to face Wild and started walking backwards in order to talk to him. “I uh… I’ve worn dresses before you know.”

“What?” Wild asked, surprised at this turn of events. He’d worn feminine clothing, but never a dress. 

“Yeah, on one of my adventures. It wasn’t just me on it mind you. There were a whole bunch of different versions of myself all wearing different stuff... Kinda like all of us except we were all from the same point in time just… different worlds, I guess,” Legend shrugged. “Was pretty nice.”

“You miss them?” Wild asked.

“Huh? No! I mean they were okay, but... that wasn’t what I was talking about. Wearing the dress-- _that_ was pretty nice, you know,” he said.

“Oh.” Wild wasn’t really sure how to respond. 

“I mean,” Legend chuckled, “why do you think I don’t bother wearing actual pants?”

Wild laughed slightly, but his face didn’t carry any joy to it. What was Legend getting at? Was he like him, or was he just telling him there was no shame in wearing women’s clothes? Legend may have worn feminine clothes, but did he actually present himself as a woman at the time? If he was with other versions of himself all wearing similar things, it seemed unlikely. 

“You like wearing those clothes don’t you?” Legend asked point blank. He stopped walking, forcing Wild to stop in his tracks. Legend’s face was a blank mask as he asked, and Wild couldn’t get a read on what his reaction was to the idea. 

“Wha...?” he managed, but he couldn’t bring himself to answer the question. Maybe Legend would be okay with him liking his vai clothing, but what would he think if he knew that Wild like being seen as a woman as well as a man? Panic beat on his heart, pushing it to go faster. 

“They’re comfortable, and they serve their purpose. You like the clothes,” Legend explained to him.

“I-No I don’t!” Wild insisted. His left, lower eyelid had twitched ever-so-slightly as he spoke. His face flushed as embarrassment flooded back into him. Goddesses above, Legend brought him out here just to make fun of him didn’t he? His hands clenched into fists at his sides. He felt pressure building behind his eyes again.

A barked laugh came from the hero in front of him. “You’re a really bad liar, you know that?” Legend asked. He stepped forward into Wild’s space. Wild tensed. Legend’s hand came up and rested on his shoulder. “You know it’s fine if you like dressing like that right?”

Wild stood stunned for a moment. “What do you mean?” he managed after he realized Legend was waiting on him to speak. 

“I mean it’s fine if you like to dress like that,” Legend snorted. “I already told you I don’t wear pants ‘cause I like to wear dresses.”

“I thought that was just a joke…” Wild muttered. His shoulders relaxed slightly, and he felt Legend squeeze his shoulder a bit.

“Nope,” Legend replied, popping the ‘p.’ “You wanna talk about it?” he asked.

There was a moment where Wild hesitated. He did kind of want to talk to Legend, but at the same time, what would he think? It seemed like he really did think Wild’s quirk was okay. Maybe he would think the whole truth was okay too? Wild dropped his gaze to his feet and bit his lip.

“Yeah…” he murmured. Legend withdrew his hand and moved over to a nearby tree to lean against it while he waited for the other hero to continue. “I just… When I got these clothes, it was just to get in the city, but... once I got them on... People were really nice to me! I felt comfortable! I enjoyed myself in Gerudo Town. Everyone treated me like I was just another girl, and… I don’t know... That felt nice? I mean, I enjoy my time dressed like a vai, and I enjoy my time dressed like a man. I like being treated like a man, but I also like being treated like a woman. I just… I know it’s weird. It’s probably way more than you signed up for when you asked me to talk I just… It’s just… It’s how I feel, you know?”

Legend smiled gently at him from where he was leaned against the tree. “So you’re a guy and a girl?”

“I… I think so?” Wild confirmed, though not really sure himself.

“Cool,” Legend shrugged. The smile still played on his lips. “I mean... I just like wearing dresses, but... that’s really cool.” His whole body sagged with relief hearing that Legend was okay with how he was--that he didn’t think he was broken. The smile on Legend’s face disappeared, and he continued, “So when everyone was teasing you back at the shrine…?”

“It uh…” Wild swallowed, his mouth suddenly dry upon thinking back to his friends mocking him. “Yeah... It hurt, so I just... I had to get out of there. I didn’t know what any of you were gonna think if you found out… I mean, Hylia, I thought you would think I was broken. That-that something got messed up while I was in the Shrine of Resurrection.”

“Oh, Wild…” a voice muttered from behind him. Wild whipped around to see Twilight standing just a couple feet away. He had come up the path the two of them had made when they left camp. 

“Hey, creep! _How the fuck long_ have you been standing there?” Legend snapped, pushing himself off of the tree. 

“I just… I came to tell you that I think Hyrule’s burning dinner. I didn’t mean to overhear anything,” Twilight tried to explain.

“Well, why didn’t you just pull the pot off the fire?” The hero in the hat snapped. 

“He’s not letting anyone touch it--he’s insisting he knows how to cook, and that Wild left him in charge for a reason,” Wild’s mentor replied calmly. He raised his hands in surrender. “I figured one of you could get him to listen.”

“Goddess dammit,” Legend muttered under his breath. He started trudging back to camp, pausing briefly to hiss something at Twilight and smacking his shoulder roughly as he went. 

Wild stood, aghast, staring at Twilight. How much had he heard? He felt the blood drain from his face as panic set in. “H-How-?” His words were starting to fail him and fear climbed up his throat where it began to swell, choking him. 

“A lot… I heard a lot…” Twilight relented. He ducked his head and looked away from his protege towards the edge of the oasis. 

Wild felt anger begin to swell in his at the fact that Twilight had eavesdropped on him. Though that anger lost its traction under all his fear of what his mentor’s reaction was to what he had heard. He stood in silence, his hand drew up to grip tightly at the scars on his left forearm.

Cautiously, Twilight stepped forwards--his hands were still raised in surrender. As he drew closer to Wild, Twilight reached toward the hand that was gripping tightly to his scars. Gingerly, he gripped the sides of Wild’s palm in an attempt to ease his grip on his arm. Wild numbly let him take his hand away. 

“I don’t think you’re broken,” Twilight whispered, staring at the hand cupped in his own. “I just wish you’d told me…” His gaze drew up to Wild’s face, and his eyes flicked around, examining him. 

A frown spread across Wild’s mouth, the right corner dipping more than the left. His eyebrows creased, and his eyes shut as a sigh escaped him. When Wild reopened his eyes he found Twilight gently frowning right back at him.

“I hate that I hurt your feelings, you know?” Twilight’s mouth flopped a couple times as he attempted to continue. “I don’t expect you to forgive me, but you should know that I _really do_ regret teasing you. I’m sorry, Cub…”

After a few moments of searching Twilight’s face for honesty, Wild lunged in to embrace his mentor. Twilight seemed startled by the tight grip, but hugged him back. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you... “ Wild muttered into his shoulder.

“You don’t have to be sorry for anything,” Twilight soothed. He raised a hand to his protege’s hair in an attempt to comfort him. He threaded his fingers through his locks gently, cautious of how it was tied back.

They stood there for a while before Wild pulled back. “You really don’t think I’m messed up?” he asked cautiously.

“No! … And you uh... you know I did kind of mean it when I said you looked beautiful. Those clothes really suit you,” Twilight smiled. He patted Wild’s shoulder gently for a brief moment before drawing back. 

Wild sighed with a smile tugging at the corners of his lips. The anxiety was draining from him, and suddenly he was exhausted. He wanted nothing more than to go back to camp, finish cooking, and sleep. “We should go back to the others…” he said.

“Yeah... “ Twilight agreed. “You know, you should probably tell them too.” Wild looked startled. Quickly Twilight continued, “They’d understand! And if you ever wanted to wear those clothes or any others anytime, you wouldn’t have to worry about it... You know we all want you to be happy.”

Wild bit his lip, and his fingers came up to trace the scars on his cheek. “Maybe…” he muttered. 

“You don’t have to if you don’t want to. I’m sure Legend won’t tell anyone without your say-so, and I definitely won’t,” Twilight soothed. 

“No, you’re right I should,” Wild agreed. He sighed and stared at the camp. “I should…” 

Twilight smiled gently and moved to his side. He wrapped an arm around his protege’s shoulder. “You ready?” he asked.

“No, but I’ll have to do it eventually won’t I?” he sighed. 

“Probably, yeah,” Twilight chuckled lightly. 

With that, the two of them made their way back to camp. Once there, they saw that Legend had managed to wrestle the rice away from Hyrule. Everyone was sitting around, snacking on the honied fruit that Wild had already finished preparing before he went on his walk. Time smiled at them as they walked back into camp. Legend watched wearily, scowling at Twilight.

Twilight stood beside Wild and gave his shoulder a gentle squeeze with his hand before dropping his arm back to his own side. Wild’s heart was pounding in his chest. Twilight had assured him the others would be kind to him, but the panic still came. The squeeze to his shoulder had grounded him briefly, and gave him the courage to clear his throat. A couple of the Link’s in camp looked over to him. 

“I uh… I have something I wanna tell you guys,” Wild started. Everyone else in camp turned to look at him, inquisitive. “Um... “ With all of their eyes on him, Wild froze. He couldn’t do this. Sure Twilight and Legend thought he was fine, but the others would probably think he was a freak! 

Beside him, Twilight leaned over to bump his shoulder with his own. It knocked Wild out of his panic. He curled his fingers inward, and his nails bit into his palm. He’d gotten their attention. He needed to follow it up. Twilight believed they would be fine with who he was, and he trusted Twilight. It would be okay. 

“I uh... I like wearing women’s clothing,” he started. “In fact,” Wild’s eyes lost focus as he dropped his gaze to their campfire to avoid looking at any of the confused stares he was receiving, “I feel like I belong in them--as a woman. I mean I’m a man! But… I’m also a woman… I think. I’m, uh, not entirely sure to be honest, but… Earlier when I lost my temper and left you in the shrine… I’m sorry. I just- It felt like you would think I was weird if you knew… I thought you might think something was wrong with me, and I just… Yeah...”

Four was the first to speak up, a wide grin on his face. “Really? That’s pretty cool. You know if you ever want to go shopping for some more stuff, I would be willing to go with you.”

“Really?” Wild asked, tentatively.

“Of course!” the shortest hero’s grin widened as he nodded his affirmation.

“Th… Thanks,” Wild breathed.

“So that’s what was bothering you earlier?” Hyrule asked gently. Wild nodded again. A frown spread across Hyrule’s face. “I’m sorry we worried you. Personally, I like you just fine the way you are.”

“I’m glad you told us,” Time offered. A light smile was on his face. “Thanks for trusting us.” Hyrule hummed in agreement and nodded. 

There was a brief pause before Sky pushed himself to his feet. Gingerly, he made his way across camp to Wild. The others watched in puzzlement as he did so. He came to a stop in front of Wild, and paused a moment before dropping to one knee and bowing his head. 

“I’m... really sorry for I acted. I knew before that what I said was upsetting, but I didn’t mean it as an insult. I’m glad that... despite how I acted, you were willing to tell me. Thank you,” with his last two words, Sky raised his head. A crooked frown and concerned brows were what greeted Wild. He could see that the hero in front of him really meant what he was saying. Regardless of the kneeling, Wild would have accepted the apology. The whole thing, while very touching, was slightly overwhelming. 

Wild stuttered out, “I-it’s okay. I know you didn’t know. It’s… it’s not your fault.”

“Maybe not, but I still shouldn’t have done it,” Sky sighed. He started to get to his feet when Warriors appeared beside him and rested a hand on his shoulder. 

“I shouldn’t have either. If I knew how much it really would have meant to you, I never would have done it,” the captain said. “I’m sorry.”

“Me too,” Sky agreed. 

“It’s okay guys, really,” Wild smiled. It was slightly tense considering the situation, but it was still genuine. The pair nodded their heads, and turned to head back to their spots. Sky hesitated though before turning around and pulling Wild into a hug. Wild was stunned for a moment before hugging him back. They stood like that for only a brief moment before Sky pulled back. When he did so, he clapped Wild on the shoulder. He turned and went back to his seat beside Warriors. 

Finally, Wild moved from the spot where he had stood planted. He felt as if a spell had been broken when Sky had given him that hug--like everything had been forgiven and forgotten. He left Twilight’s side and went to sit by the fire where his pot rested. He moved to scrape the rice into a bowl, so he could finish preparing the meat that he had pulled out when Wind made his way over to him. 

There was the sound of a throat clearing, and he looked up to see the youngest hero standing next to him. Wild raised an inquisitive eyebrow. 

“I’m… um... I’m really sorry that I laughed earlier,” Wind apologized.

“It’s okay,” Wild smiled. 

Wind nodded and turned to leave. He hesitated though. “You know,” he said, turning back. “You looked really pretty dressed like that.” The younger hero seemed slightly flustered, having to give his companion a compliment.

“Thanks,” Wild chuckled in response. 

“If you uh, ever wanna do some braids or something for your hair, I could do some for you,” Wind offered. He scratched at the back of his head. “My sister used to make me do them all the time.”

A smile spread across Wild’s face. “I think a braid might look good with my clothes,” he said. 

Wind smiled back at him in return. “You want one now?” he asked excitedly.

“Sure,” Wild grinned back at him. “Think you can do it while I finish dinner?”

“Yeah! Aryll used to move around all the time when I did her hair,” Wind explained. He moved to stand behind the older hero and gently began to undo his ponytail. 

As Wind worked to braid his hair, Wild looked around the camp at all his companions. His heart glowed with warmth. You know, Patricia was right. 

He really is loved.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading, once again sorry if the ending seemed a little rushed. Next time I'll take things slower and get out something that's the same quality the whole way through. Also sorry if I missed anything in editing.
> 
> If you have any suggestions on things I could improve on, let me know.
> 
> Hope you enjoyed!


End file.
